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According to eyewitness accounts, a passenger on a Ryanair flight was nearly sucked out of the aircraft’s window during the journey.
Travelers on the flight informed local media that the man was dangling outside the plane headfirst for several minutes until fellow passengers managed to pull him back inside the cabin.
Flight tracking data indicates the aircraft was airborne for approximately 10 minutes when it abruptly lost 2,700 meters of altitude. Passengers told local news outlets they heard “some kind of explosion.”
A spokesperson for a Greek hospital reported that the 61-year-old Serbian national is receiving treatment for friction abrasions.
“His wife held onto his legs for about five minutes to stop him from being pulled out,” said Michalis Giannakos.
In a statement, Ryanair confirmed that the flight, which departed from Thessaloniki, Greece, heading to Memmingen, Germany, on Friday morning, returned to the airport shortly after takeoff due to a passenger window dislodging in mid-air.
The airline added, “The aircraft landed safely and passengers returned to the terminal. One passenger sought medical attention and received treatment following the landing in Thessaloniki.”
The Irish budget carrier also mentioned that another aircraft was provided a few hours later to transport passengers to Memmingen.
Greek and German media, citing passengers, reported that shortly after the Boeing 737 took off, a loud bang was heard, followed by the window shattering and oxygen masks dropping from the cabin ceiling.
Passengers speculated that engine debris may have damaged the window, though Ryanair has not commented on this.
“We immediately realized there was a loss of pressure. People were screaming… For a moment, I thought someone had accidentally opened an emergency door,” passenger Christina told Radio Thessaloniki.
“The oxygen masks dropped, and there was a strong smell. The head and shoulders of one passenger were outside the window. Fortunately, he had not unbuckled his seatbelt.”
Another passenger, Sofia, shared with Radio Thessaloniki:
“When the oxygen masks fell, we had no idea what was happening. We didn’t know if we would make it back. We were sitting in the rear of the plane and realized there had been some sort of explosion.”
“We thought the plane was falling. The decompression was incredibly strong. It felt like we couldn’t breathe. The injured man was bleeding, and then he lost consciousness several times, most likely due to lack of oxygen and shock,” Sofia added.
Later, Michalis Giannakos, president of the Panhellenic Federation of Public Hospital Employees, stated that the 61-year-old Serbian national is hospitalized and being treated for abrasions sustained from severe friction.
“He is in a state of shock but remains conscious,” he added.
The aircraft, reportedly 18 years old, was operated by Ryanair’s subsidiary, Malta Air.
The Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) later informed the BBC that it is aware of the incident involving the Ryanair group aircraft, registered and operated by Malta Air, which departed from Thessaloniki that morning.
“The IAA will provide any necessary assistance to the Air Accidents Investigation Unit in Greece and the Civil Aviation Directorate of Malta to aid in the investigation,” the statement read.
Former airline pilot Chris Brady told the BBC that the incident “could have had far more serious consequences” had the passenger’s seatbelt not been fastened.
“We, as aircraft commanders, always request passengers: please keep your seatbelts fastened throughout the flight as a precaution, even when we switch off the ‘Fasten Seatbelt’ sign.
“This is for situations like these, as well as for unexpected turbulence or other unforeseen circumstances. Therefore, keeping your seatbelt fastened is the correct practice,” he said.
In 2018, a passenger on a Southwest Airlines flight in the US died after engine debris struck a window, partially sucking her out of the plane.